


Meow

by Hippomatrix



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: College AU, M/M, Then it went back to fluffy and cute, There is no smut i'm sorry if the summary implies otherwise, They are both dorks and I lov them, This started out fluffy and cute, and not a ton of that, it's just kissing, then I made myself cry, yet another fic where i project my personality and feelings onto my fav characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-05 16:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11016906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hippomatrix/pseuds/Hippomatrix
Summary: Keith is almost busted for having his cat in his dorm room but his neighbor Lance convinces Pidge that it was just him meowing. Lance comes back later to pet the cat and ends up doing more heavy petting with Keith instead.





	Meow

**Author's Note:**

> Starting yet another fic bc I fell in love w this prompt:  
> Your RA almost caught your illegal cat but I convinced them that it was just me meowing
> 
> http://shittyaus.tumblr.com/post/160914811640/thrilling-new-au-scenarios-for-your-otps

Pidge stares up at Keith, intimidating even though she's a good foot shorter than him. "Do you have a cat in your room?" She asks deceptively calmly. He can see the fury boiling beneath the surface. This is not going to end well.

Keith glances guiltily back at his door and gulps. "Um... no?"

She raises a brow.

"No," he says more firmly this time. "I uh, I do _not_ have a cat."

He's betrayed by another meowing sound coming from behind his door. 

"The thing is," Pidge says, cocking a hip and staring him down. "I don't believe you. And I _know_ that you know pets aren't allowed in the dorms. So tell me again to my face that you don't have a cat" She glares him down. " _I dare you_."

 _Shit_. He's really fucked now. _Well_ , he thinks, _why come clean now?_   "I do not have a cat," he repeats, more firmly this time, and steels himself for her rage.

"Then why am I hearing a cat?" she snarls in annoyance.

Keith shrugs. "I don't know, maybe you're hearing things?"

Pidge glares at him and reaches for the door but hesitates when she hears another distinct meow, this time in the next room over. Keith looks towards the noise in confusion as his neighbor's door swings open. He's surprised to see Lance standing there in nothing but a towel and flip flops. And he's meowing. And somehow Keith still finds him insanely attractive. This day is just getting worse and worse.

"You're not imagining it," Lance says, stepping forward and slinging his arm around Keith's waist. Keith tenses at the sudden unexpected physical contact and pointedly ignores the fact that he can feel Lance's body heat through his shirt.

"Twas I!" Lance proclaims dramatically, flourishing his arm and letting out another meow. Keith has to admit it actually sounds really convincing, but that still doesn't explain why his very attractive neighbor who he fights with constantly is covering for him right now. What could Lance possibly gain from this?

Pidge looks at Lance flatly. "Why the _fuck_ , pray tell," she asks, imitating his dramatic speech, "are you _meowing_?!?"

Lance shrugs. "Maybe I'm just not afraid to live my best life." He looks over at Keith and smirks. "Or my best _nine_ lives! Get it?! Cause I was pretending to be a cat!"

Keith looks blankly back at Lance, unimpressed with his attempt at humor. "That's not even funny."

Lance sticks out his tongue childishly and pokes Keith's cheek with a perfectly manicured nail. "Says you!"

Pidge looks on as they bicker, annoyed at their mutual idiocy. "Can you two just skip through all the fighting and fuck already? God," she says, rolling her eyes. "Get your weird furry sex over with so I don't have to deal with your super fucking obvious sexual tension anymore."

"We do not have sexual tension!" Keith protests as she walks away, his profuse blush indicating otherwise.

"Yeah!" Lance chimes in. "And I'm not a furry!" Keith cringes at how loudly Lance says it. "Keith's the furry!" Lance adds with a shit eating grin.

Keith covers his face in embarrassment as everyone in the hallway looks at him judgmentally and shoves Lance away, taking silent satisfaction from the yelp of surprise. "I'm not a goddamn furry," he mutters as he steps into his room and slams the door shut in Lance's face.

Red brushes against his legs and he kneels down to run his fingers through her soft fur. Well, at least he's not in trouble with Pidge for illegally having a cat in his room. Yet. If he can distract Pidge long enough he may be able to get away with keeping his cat as a stowaway this week until Shiro finishes moving into his new home and can continue taking care of Red.

Keith sighs and sinks down to the floor, slumping against the wall. Red climbs into his lap and he pets her absentmindedly. "Is it really that obvious?" he asks, looking down at her. She doesn't answer because she's a cat, but it makes him feel better anyways. "Don't worry, Red," he says. "He may be hot, but _you_ are the love of my life." He scratches behind her ear and she purrs.

* * *

Lance knocks insistently on the door. "Keith!" he calls out in a sing-song voice. "Let me innnnnnn!"

Keith opens the door partway and glares out at his neighbor. It would be threatening if Keith weren't wearing fuzzy socks and rocking a bad case of bed head. "It's the middle of the night, Lance. What the fuck do you want?"

Lance pushes the door open further and looks over Keith's shoulder for the cat. "I want to pet your cat!"

Keith narrows his eyes and pushes Lance back slightly so he's not in his personal space, noting offhandedly that Lance is wearing a ridiculously sparkly pink vest for some reason. "Are you _drunk_?"

Lance laughs. "No, of course not!" He sways on his feet. "Okay, maybe a little," he amends.

"Go home," Keith says, closing his door. "Your room's right there."

Lance's hand stops the door. "Wait," he says, and Keith hears the joy in Lance's voice begin to slip. "Please just let me in," Lance whispers desperately, "I don't want to be alone."

Keith sighs but opens the door and gestures for Lance to come in, closing the door behind him. Lance smiles halfheartedly and Keith is struck by how wrong Lance's face looks without his signature grin painted cheerily over it. Even in the dim light of the hallway it's apparent that something is off about Lance's expression. He's smiling but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Are you... okay?" Keith asks hesitantly.

Lance grins, and for a second it's as bright as normal, but Keith can see the cracks in it. He reaches out and awkwardly pats Lance's shoulder, hoping it's somewhat comforting. "Um, you wanted to meet my cat?"

Lance nods and Keith grabs Lance's arm to pull him into his bedroom where a pair of eyes glow in the dark. "This is Red," Keith says, sitting down on his bed and petting her. Lance looks at her uncertainly before settling onto the bed on her other side. He holds out his hand for her to sniff and she pushes her head into it to ask for pets. Lance lets out a little chuckle.

"She likes you," Keith says, relieved as he looks up at Lance's face. "She-" Keith stops. The soft laughter now sounds more like sobs. He can't tell for certain in the darkness, but he thinks Lance is crying. Keith reaches out a hand and brushes it over Lance's tear stained cheek. Lance's breath hitches and he lets out a sob, no longer able to contain his stifled crying.

Keith freezes. _Shit_. He doesn't know what to do in this kind of situation. He's never had to comfort anyone like this before and he's never seen Lance be anything but annoyingly cheerful. "I don't..." he starts to say, frowning. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Lance lets out a choked laugh. "Neither do I," he sobs, hunching forward and curling into himself. "I don't know how to do this anymore." He coughs out another strangled laugh. "I don't know why I wanted to see you, I guess I thought petting a cat would cheer me up." His hand stills in Red's fur and she meows faintly in protest. "But it hasn't." He looks up at Keith's silhouette and cracks a weak smile. "I'm such a failure. I can't even do emotions right."

"You're not a failure," Keith replies firmly, reaching out to hold one of Lance's hands in his own.

Red clambers into Keith's lap and Lance does that sad laugh that breaks Keith's heart again. "No one likes me, not even your cat."

Keith purses his lips. "That's not true," he says. "Lots of people like you."

" _You_ don't" Lance rebuts.

"Of course I do," Keith replies, hurt by how certain Lance sounds. "How could I _not_ like you? You're nice and caring and the most intense person I think I've ever met. Yeah, you're annoying, but It's part of your charm. As much as you piss me off, you challenge me, and that's refreshing."

Lance sniffs and leans forward towards Keith. "Don't forget that I'm super hot," he adds. Keith can't tell if it's a joke or not, but there's a ghost of a smile on Lance's lips and that's something.

Keith snorts. "That certainly doesn't hurt." He freezes. _Shit_. Has he just said that out loud? "Shit," he swears, panicking. "I didn't mean-"

Keith is cut off as Lance invades his personal space and has barely any time to process what's about to happen before Lance is kissing him. Red hisses and scrambles to get out of Keith's lap, barely avoiding being crushed between him and Lance. Keith freezes, eyes wide, lips unmoving beneath Lance's. This is all going so fast. It's too much at once. He instinctively gets his hands up between them and pushes Lance away, gasping for air.

Lance's eyes go wide and he scrambles away from Keith to give him space, apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry, I should've -I didn't - I thought you were-"

"Stop," Keith says as he tries to calm his breathing, sitting up. "It's fine. Stop apologizing."

"But I _kissed_ you," Lance whispers, horrified that he had done something so rash without thinking about Keith's feelings. "I completely misread the situation I'm so sorry-"

"You didn't," Keith says, more firmly this time. His pulse is still too fast but he's no longer hyperventilating. He takes a deep breath. "It was just... a lot. For me." Keith tugs nervously at the ends of his hair, slightly relieved to see Lance's posture relax somewhat at his words. "I don't really do... touching," he explains.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Lance," Keith says sharply, cutting his neighbor off before he can start apologizing again. "Let me finish."

Lance nods and Keith continues. "What I mean is that I don't have a lot of experience with, um, physical affection." He bites his lip and looks down to where his hands fidget nervously with the hem of his shirt. "I don't hate it, I'm just not used to it," he admits. "You just surprised me, that's all. A little warning next time would be nice."

Lance scoots closer to Keith. "Next time?"

Keith shifts uncomfortably, glad Lance can't see his blush in the darkness. "Um... yeah. If you're still interested."

Lance leans forward slowly. "Can I kiss you right now?"

Keith nods, and Lance enters his personal space hesitantly this time, giving Keith plenty of time to back out if he wants to. He stops just shy of Keith's mouth. Keith closes his eyes and leans forward slightly so that their lips meet. He kisses Lance slowly, reaching a hand up to cup Lance's cheek. Lance's mouth tastes salty from his tears and his face is still damp, but he's no longer crying.

Lance tentatively wraps his arms around Keith, trying his best to match Keith's pace and not go too fast. Keith parts his lips slightly to deepen their kiss and lays back on his bed, pulling Lance with him so that Lance's whole body is settled above his, enjoying the warmth and weight of Lance's body pressed against his. 

Keith slips his hands under Lance's shirt to settle on his back, tracing his fingers over the ridges of Lance's spine. Lance's fingers tangle through Keith's hair and Keith lets out an annoyed noise as that god-damned vest scratches across his collarbone. Lance disengages his hands immediately and sits up. "What did I do?" He asks worriedly. "Do you not like me touching your hair?"

Keith props himself up on his elbows and snorts at the misplaced concern. "No, it's your stupid-ass sequined vest." He reaches up and prods Lance's chest. "It's scratchy. I don't like the texture."

Lance leans forward and grins, unbuttoning his vest. "That's easy enough to fix." He finishes undoing the buttons and tosses the offending garment aside. It makes a satisfying thump as it hits the floor. "Now where were we? Ah yes, we were making out." Lance pauses again. "Oh my god," he says as if he's just figured out something amazing.

"What?" Keith asks.

"You liiiiiiike meeee," Lance teases.

Keith huffs and falls back against the bed. "You're lucky you're hot," he mutters. "Or I would never put up with you."

Lance laughs and trails his fingers over the exposed bit of Keith's stomach where his sleep shirt has ridden up, smirking when Keith's muscles tense under his touch. "And yet you do put up with me." His hand goes tantalizingly lower, fingertips just barely dipping below the hem of Keith's boxers. "I wonder why."

Keith closes his eyes and sighs in defeat. "I hate you so much."

Lance leans down and peppers Keith's face with kisses. "That's a lie and you know it."

"Fine," Keith admits tiredly, stifling a yawn. "Now shut up already and kiss me again."

Lance leans down and puts his lips against Keith's ear. "Nope," he whispers seductively, rolling off of Keith to lay beside him on the bed.

"What the actual fuck," Keith says in annoyance.

"You need to sleep, sleepyhead." Lance bops Keith on the nose. "And so do I. I need my beauty rest, after all."

"Hardly," Keith retorts before he realizes its actually a compliment.

Lance sits up to yank off his shirt and socks and toss them off the bed.

"What are you doing?" Keith asks as Lance crawls back over to him and pulls the covers up over them.

"Sleeping with you, duh."

"I'm not the kind of guy who sleeps with someone on a first date," Keith remarks in fake offense even as he turns so that he's tucked against Lance's chest.

Lance laughs and nuzzles his face against Keith's neck. "Good thing this isn't a date."

Keith hums noncommittally and pulls Lance's arm tighter against his chest, enjoying the warmth radiating off of his bed mate who may or may not be his boyfriend now. He's not sure. He'll have to ask tomorrow, but for now he can feel himself drifting off to sleep as Lance's fingers run through his hair soothingly.

* * *

"Keith."

Keith turns his head away from the voice. "Go away. I'm sleeping," he mumbles into his pillow, nuzzling into the warmth of his bed. His pillow is soft and warm and he doesn't want to get up.

"Keith," Lance repeats, fiddling with Keith's hair. Clearly Keith is not a morning person. He probably hasn't even realized that the pillow he's smushing his face into is actually Lance's bare chest. Lance wonders with amusement how red Keith's face will turn when he figures out he's practically lying on top of Lance's half naked body. Or will he even notice at all in his zombified half awake state? At the moment he's pretty out of it.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty. We have class in 20 minutes."

"You don't know when I have class," Keith mutters. Someone or some _cat_ is batting at his hair and it's very distracting. Red usually doesn't wake him up this early. Shiro must've switched up her feeding schedule. He wants the voice to go away so he can go back to sleep. He wants to go back to his dream with Lance's warm arms wrapped around him and his bare chest pressing against Keith's back and- Wait. He lifts his head up slightly and cracks open his eyes. "Lance?"

"Yeah, dude. I slept over last night, remember? Now get your ass up and out of bed before we're both late."

Keith groans and flops back onto the bed so that Lance is no longer pinned beneath him, too tired to even bother keeping his eyes open. "Ugh, fine," he says, making no move to get up.

Lance sits up and leans over Keith, staring down at him. "You have horrible bedhead, you know."

"And you have morning breath," Keith retorts, wrinkling his nose and cracking an eye open to glare up at Lance's stupid beautiful face.

Lance smirks and leans in so that their mouths almost touch, hot breath blowing across Keith's face. "You know you love it."

"Fuck you," Keith mutters even as his face starts to color.

"Not now, we're gonna be late for class," Lance replies, closing the gap between them and initiating a long, deep kiss. Keith was right, Lance does have morning breath, but neither of them can be bothered to care.

"You'll have to wait," Lance teases as he pulls away and hops off the bed to gather his discarded clothing. Keith stutters incoherently, face flushing.

"Bye, nerd," Lance calls as he heads out the door. "See you in class!"

* * *

"Keith, wait up!" Lance calls out, breaking away from Pidge and Hunk to jog a few yards down the path through the quad to his neighbor's side.

Keith takes out his earbuds and pauses his music. He looks at Lance without any outward sign of emotion, knowing this is it. This is when Lance will apologize for leading him on. Keith has already accepted it. "What?"

Lance shoves his hands in his pockets uncomfortably. "So... about last night-"

"It's fine," Keith says, cutting Lance off before he can say anything well-intentioned but ultimately hurtful. It's easier to skip the bullshit and just get straight to the point. "You can pretend it never happened."

Lance halts mid step and looks at Keith in confusion. "Why would I do that?"

Keith doesn't even look at Lance as he continues walking. "Because you were clearly having a mental breakdown and weren't acting rationally."

Lance hurries to catch up. "I was _not_ having a mental breakdown," he protests.

"Well, you came to my door drunk asking to pet my cat, started crying, then proceeded to randomly make out with me, your neighbor, who you don't even like."

"Why would you think I don't like you?!" Lance grabs Keith's arm and forces him to turn so their eyes meet. "Yeah, I was having a rough day, but I went to you because I _do_  like you. I felt like shit and I thought you'd make me feel better." Keith looks away but Lance keeps talking. "And I was right."

Keith frowns. "And?"

"And what?" Lance asks, not understanding why this is upsetting Keith.

"And what the fuck am I supposed to _do_ with this?" Keith snaps. "How can I possibly live up to this fantasy version of me that you've apparently created in your mind?! I can't magically make you feel better! Mental illness doesn't work like that and you know it! _I can't be that person!_ " His voice quiets and he clenches his fists by his sides, refusing to look up at Lance. "I'll just end up disappointing you."

"Keith," Lance says softly, reaching out and cradling Keith's face in his hands. He feels a tear drip down to his fingers and steps close so that his forehead rests against Keith's. "You won't. You won't disappoint me." Keith's shoulders shake with silent sobs and Lance tugs at Keith's face so that he looks up and their eyes meet. "I don't want to be with you because I think you're a human antidepressant. I want to be with you because I genuinely like you." He bites his lip nervously. "So will you... like, go on a date with me or something?"

Keith laughs and wipes away his tears with the back of his hand. "You're such an idiot."

"Is that a yes?"

Keith smiles weakly. "Yeah, but only 'cause you're hot," he teases.

Lance grins and leans forward so their lips meet. It's warm and soft and Keith's lips taste salty from his tears but it's nice.

"Yes!" Hunk cheers. "I win! Pidge, you owe me $20."

Lance pulls away from Keith and glares at his friends. "We were having a moment!" he protests. "Can't a guy get a little privacy?!"

Pidge smirks. "Um, _no_. You're in a public area," she gestures around to the mostly empty but still very visible path ahead of them. "And besides, we've had this bet going since you two losers met. Hunk thought you'd have some heartfelt, tear-filled confession, so he just won, damn you fuckers." She shakes her head. "I thought for sure you two would just get super drunk and fuck, which would've been a much faster and easier solution to your _idiocy_ , but oh well."

"Fuck you, Pidge," Lance says.

"Gotta save some of that action for Keith," she retorts.

Keith turns away, face flushed with embarrassment. _Why are his friends like this_?

**Author's Note:**

> Pidge coming in to ruin the moment. She reminds me of Toph. HOLY FUCK THEY WOULD BE SUCH GOOD FRIENDS!!!
> 
> This went in a completely different direction than I was planning but I think it works. It was gonna be sillier but then I added in angst bc I didn't want to write the inbetween and I'm having an iffy day mental health wise. The way I wrote Lance is very similar to myself; very outgoing and cheerful most of the time to the point where it freaks people out if that happiness isn't there. People are always really surprised when I tell them that I'm depressed because I laugh a lot and am friendly, but those traits coexist with my sadness and frustration and hopelessness. I usually just try not to deal with the sad stuff when other people are watching.
> 
> Also I think this might be my favorite line I've ever written.  
> "Why the fuck, pray tell," she asks, imitating his dramatic speech, "are you meowing?!?"


End file.
